Transfigured Ephemera
by Daidairo
Summary: AU. When Estellise was sent to live in Shizontania under the care of one ex-Knight, she had no inkling of the dangerous happenings that had prompted such a decision. But as the possibilities of war draw closer, what can one princess do?
1. Chapter I: Nea Arhi

As promised to Mayuko and Sierra nearly a whole year ago, in return for their buying some lovely Tales badges for me. They gave me several guidelines to follow, and a few themes to put into the story here and there. This time I swear I won't abandon my writing ^^;

So this fic is dedicated to them.

EDIT: This chapter has been edited for details and other plot points. 

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Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter I: Nea Arhi

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Estellise struggled to move her bag towards the cab. It wasn't so heavy that she could not lift it, but it was bulky, and collided consistently with her legs as she walked.

The man in front of her settled her trunk into the boot with a thump. Glancing back at her, he neatly took the bag from her secretly grateful hands. Heaving it onto one shoulder, he moved to the cab and tossed it in.

"Um, thank you, Mr Lowell," she said politely, marvelling inwardly at how he managed her heavy luggage as easily as if they were sacks of feathers, while wincing slightly at his cavalier treatment of her belongings.

"Just call me Yuri. Formality makes my neck ache," he replied. Cracking his knuckles, he slid in on one side of the cab and motioned for her to do the same. She picked up her fencing sabre and did so, pausing to stare one final time at the castle that had been her home for the past sixteen years. The small wooden sidedoor had been closed the moment she entered the cab, creaking slightly from disuse.

_No looking back, _she reminded herself sternly. _Here I go._ Taking a deep breath, she shut the door, and with a purr of its engine, the cab began to move.

When her cousin Ioder had first told her that she would be moving to quiet little Shizontania for a while, she had been thrilled and excited, albeit a little apprehensive. Finally, she had a chance to taste the freedom that she had only dreamt and read about previously. It frightened her a little, too. Never before had she been allowed outside the castle walls for more than a day. Never before had she ventured beyond the borders of Zaphias. Never before had she imagined that she would be able to leave the castle and start a new life far away.

Ever since she borrowed her first book from the castle library, a fiction about the tales of a brave and adventurous pirate girl, she had dreamed of stepping out of the castle to explore the world around her. She devoured the books that detailed lives of people so different from herself, of places so faraway from her, of things she had never known existed before. She had always wanted to see those things and visit those places and experience those lives herself. The feeling of a brand new world opening before her was like turning the cover of a brand new book... only better. Her years in the castle, filled mainly with deportment, ettiquette and academical education, seemed monotonous and bland compared to the books, and the thought that now she, too, would be able to experience something wonderful...

Where would she go? What would she see? Who would she meet? Excitement, curiosity, apprehension, happiness, hesitancy... Estellise could not describe the multitude of emotions tumbling about inside her. It was bewildering, because she had never felt like this before. And the man sitting beside her compounded that bewilderment.

As the cab drove out of the castle's side gates, Estellise stared at Yuri Lowell out of the corner of her eye. He was a mystery, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of him, yet. Her excitement from hearing that she was to leave the castle had grown in leaps and bounds. No more maids to pick up everything she dropped, no more ladies-in-waiting frowning at her, no more servants bowing to her every few steps, no more bodyguards dictating her every action... Wonderful images of her living as a normal human being flitted through her mind; she baked cookies, went shopping, held sleepovers, and did spring-cleaning, while a kindly, matronly guardian stood behind her smiling benignly.

But then Ioder mentioned that her guardian was male. And three seconds after meeeting him, those ideas had been pushed aside by bewildered uncertainty. She had no idea who he was, or why he had been chosen as her guardian. Tall, dark haired, with an inscrutable expression on his face. Estellise found herself constantly wondering what he was thinking. Did he welcome her sudden intrusion into his life? Or did he resent having to look after her?

The idea of asking him directly popped up for half a second, then fizzled and died. It would not be polite, and he might be pressured into giving a false answer in deference to her rank. Although she had no idea why he agreed to take her in, she was determined not to be a bother to him, and to be as helpful and friendly as possible so that he would, hopefully, see her as a positive addition to his household.

That decided, she settled happily into more comfortable thoughts and began to dream of Shizontania. She had seen pictures of it, and read about it in books and brochures, but places were constantly changing. Peeking at Yuri, who was staring out of the window, she felt that it was a safe enough question to ask.

"What is Shizontania like?"

Yuri turned to look at her, a little thoughtfully.

"What are you expecting it to be like?" he said, surprising her with a question of his own.

"Um, well..." Her mind sifted rapidly through the information that she had picked up. "Quiet, peaceful... But full of fun and activities, interesting shops and amusement parks... a place where everyone knows everyone else?"

Yuri stared at her for a while. Then he grinned. It was the first real expression she had observed thus far, and Estellise was delighted to see that he _could_ smile.

"You've been reading tourist booklets," he said.

"Well, yes..." she admitted. "The library doesn't really say much, beyond its history and founding, a few events, festivals, and the bombing incident three years ago. And the internet doesn't really have anything at all."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but those descriptions fit only one or two parts of Shizontania. Very few tourists bother to visit, thanks to the bomb incident, so there was no reason to spin out elaborate descriptions or put much truth into those brochures."

"Oh... Then, what is Shizontania really like?"

"You'll see," Came the reply, with the lopsided grin again. "It's gonna be a long ride. Get some sleep."

When he mentioned sleep, Estellise suddenly realised that she did feel tired. No doubt her lying awake in bed the night before dreaming about Shizontania was one of the reasons... And she had been so busy preparing for the move that she had had no time to feel tired. Leaning back, the pink haired girl closed her eyes.

o.o.o

Yuri eyed the elaborately designed bodhi blastia on her wrist, and the fencing sabre lying loosely between her fingers. Ioder had said that she was good with it... but how good was good?

"Apparently not good enough for them to trust her with her own safety, huh...?" he muttered. He could still remember bits and pieces of the conversation they had shared in the tiny alcove off the throne room.

_"...because, as the next heir to the throne, she's a likely target for whomever wants you dead?"_

_"Something like that, yes. And trying to hide her amongst court officials would be like trying to hide a rabbit in a cage of lions."_

_"So, since I have no visible connections to the Empire..."_

_"...or to any of the senators..."_

_"No one would dream of looking for her in Shizontania."_

The idea of babysitting a young girl seemed like too much trouble. Especially since the girl in question was a noble. Ioder had insisted that she wasn't one of the haughty, self-satisfied twitterers that fluttered about wasting money, and what he had seen of her thus far didn't seem bad. Before, however, Yuri hadn't been too eager about it.

It was partly because Ioder asked him, and partly because Flynn looked like he didn't know whether to be happy with that decision or not. However, they hadn't told him the truth behind their worries yet... and that was the main reason he agreed to look after Princess Estellise.

o.o.o

When she awoke, the first thing she saw was the pink and orange sky through the window of the moving cab. She sat up straighter and looked about her in wonder.

Unlike in Zaphias, none of the buildings were over five storeys tall. There were trees around every corner, in every street... where the dark blue figures of Imperial Knight members were absent. Clusters of shophouses were scattered here and there, all facing the main street that they were currently driving down. People were walking along both sides of the road; mothers with prams and toddlers, school children returning home, office workers knocking off, and others' whose story she could only wonder at.

To one side, there was a wide, green park. To the other side, there was a cobbled town square. Rising high above all the other mall buildings was a lone clock tower, with two bells above it. Nothing as spectacular as the ones in Zaphias, but it was stately and elegant. Next to it stood a small chapel, its stained glass windows winking and sparkling at her.

Ice cream parlour, bookstore, two shopping malls, the school campus, post office, Imperial Knights' station house, several smaller schools, one or two banks... the cab sped past them, two swiftly for her eyes to drink in everything, but Estellise made a promise to return and explore everything.

Shizontania was bathed in golden light from the setting sun. The cloudless sky, wide, open and brilliant with hues of amber and cerise, stretched endlessly in every direction.

Like the freedom she now had.

Glancing at her enraptured face, Yuri said, "I take it you like the look of Shizontania?"

"It's beautiful!" Estellise exclaimed fervently, turning to him with her green eyes shining, her lips unable to keep from curling into a smile. Excitement, once again, was soaring within her, and she could hardly keep herself from laughing out loud in pure joy.

Yuri smiled back at her then. A smile very different from the grin he had shown earlier. It was filled with pride, friendliness, and... was that a hint of sorrow?

"Glad you like it."

As swiftly as it had appeared, it was gone.

Before more than few minutes had gone by, the cab stopped in front of a cluster of small, pale grey buildings. They sat near an apple orchard, some distance away from the main road, with a tiny driveway and four carpark slots.

"You live here?" Estellise asked, opening the door of the cab and looking about her with interest.

"Yep. Come on, get your stuff out." Yuri ordered. "You'll have plenty of time to look later."

A little surprised at being addressed in such a manner, Estellise hurried to the back and took the lighter bags that Yuri handed her. He lifted her heavy trunk and another bag, motioned for her to close the trunk, then nodded to the driver, who nodded back gratefully and then sped away. Estellise blinked, then felt a little embarrassed. No doubt the driver had been waiting impatiently while she stood and gaped at her new home. _Did Yuri realise that, then...?_

He didn't seem to take any notice of her sudden disquiet. Sticking one hand into his pocket, he thrust a set of keys towards Estellise.

"Rightmost staircase, third floor, door on the left," he instructed. "Use the key with reddish marks on it."

"All right." Estellise walked up the creaking stairs wonderingly. The walls were grey and slightly yellowed with age, but they looked clean nevertheless. The wooden banisters were smooth, though sticky in certain areas. Each stair felt slightly higher than what she was used to, and narrower. A brown mackerel tabby blinked at her sleepily from a fluffy doormat on the second floor, its green eyes following her as she walked past it.

The door was made of oakwood, with slight grooves carved in simple designs on it. Inserting the key, Estellise had to struggle with it for a moment before the lock turned and the door opened. She slipped in, removing her flat slippers at the sight of a messy pile of shoes scattered just behind the door.

The apartment was small, and surprisingly neat. The doorway led immediately to a sitting room, with a small television set, a low coffee table, and two grey blue couches in it. Beyond that was a tiny kitchen, with an even tinier bathroom. The corridor to the kitchen had two more wooden doors leading out of it, one on either side, facing each other.

"The right one's yours," Yuri said, walking up from behind her. When she pulled open the door, he dumped her luggage on the floor and beckoned her in.

Like most of the rest of the apartment, the floor was tiled in plain ceramic squares. The walls were white, with three sliding windows at the far end. A bed with two pillows and a comforter, a floor rug, and a teakwood wardrobe. A small vanity set with drawers and a couple of wall shelves completed the room.

"Probably not what you're used to, but it's good enough considering the peanuts the landlady charges," Yuri said cheerfully.

Estellise threw him a startled look. "She charges you _peanuts_? Does she really like them so much?"

Yuri opened his mouth, then closed it, and shook his head. "Never mind. I'll leave you to your unpacking and all. Have fun."

"Uh, right." Estellise felt a little bit puzzled, but she didn't dwell on it. As Yuri turned to leave the room, she called out to him. "...Yuri?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I think it's a great room."

Yuri raised one eyebrow. "Say that again in winter when the heater breaks down, or in summer when you're roasting in here. And when the bugs and rats are climbing all over you at night." When Estellise's eyes widened in alarm, he chuckled. "Just kidding. Mostly." He shut the door behind him. 

Estellise fought an urge to grab the nearest object and throw it at him, and she heaved a sigh even as her lips smiled reluctantly. _It _was_ funny._

She took a deep breath and sat down on the white stool at the vanity. This was her new room. This was now her home. This was the new life that she had started. There were no sounds of traffic, no chatterings from servants and soldiers as they hurried about. Only the calls of birds as they prepared to roost, and the occasional shout from a group of children somewhere.s

For a few months, she would be part of this world.

o.o.o

Halfway through her unpacking, when she was placing a framed photograph of herself and Ioder on the beside table, the door opened and Yuri poked his head in.

"Hungry?"

Estellise jumped at his voice. "Yuri! You really should knock first!"

"Sorry." He didn't sound the least bit sorry, she thought, slightly cross. He held out a plate of sandwiches. "Figured you'd be tired and hungry and wouldn't want to wait for food, so I just knocked this up quickly."

"You made this?"

"Yep."

Estellise hesitated. It would be the first time she ate something that wasn't cooked by the castle chefs and tested for poison... She lifted one of the sandwiches and took a bite.

"This is really good!" she exclaimed. It had beef, lettuce and tomato in it; while simple, the different taste of each ingredient complemented the rest wonderfully. The tomato was especially juicy, and the beef wonderfully tender.

"Yeah yeah. No need for flattery," Yuri said, waving it off.

"No, I think it's really delicious," she insisted. "_Really._"

Yuri looked a little taken aback at her earnest tone of voice. "I... see." Then he grinned. "Well then, remember that taste! Next time, it'll be your turn!"

Now it was Estellise's turn to be taken aback. "Um, I'm sorry... I've never cooked before," she admitted.

"Everything stems from experience. If you do it yourself, you'll soon learn," Yuri said. It was the first time anyone had ever asked her to do anything herself, and Estellise found that she liked the idea.

"...All right. I'll do my best to learn to cook!" she replied with a smile.

Yuri grinned back.

"I look forward to it. Welcome to Shizontania, Estelle."

No longer Her Royal Highness Princess Estellise Sidos Heurassein. For now, she was just a normal citizen of Terca Lumireis.

She was just Estelle.

"Nice to meet you, Yuri!"

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Speech from the final part with the sandwiches was partly adapted and translated from the Japanese TOV Drama CD by me. Tales of Vesperia belongs to Namco Tales Studio.


	2. Chapter II: Deuteros Hemar

Aaaaand in the end it took me a long time before I updated. But a promise is a promise... and so I'll try to get more regular updates now. Chapter 1 has also been briefly edited for details, language as well as addition of plot points.

This fic is dedicated to Mayuko and Sierra.

All characters belong to Namco Tales Studio, including the random guys appearing in the garage. They came from The First Strike. 

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Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter II: Deuteros Hemar

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Yuri was flipping the last pancake off the frying pan when Estelle poked her head through the kitchen doorway, her nose twitching. As she caught his gaze, she gave a tentative smile, then inserted her body through as well.

"Good morning, Yuri," she greeted politely.

"Morning. Maple syrup, butter, or cheese?" came the reply, as Yuri set two plates down on the table, each with a towering stack of pancakes. Although not perfectly shaped, each pancake was cooked to a golden-brown hue, and the delicious smell wafting from them was no less inviting. But...

"Is that... all for breakfast?" Estelle exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

Estelle sat down and counted the pancakes on her plate. There were ten. 

"I... don't think I can finish everything."

"Then just eat what you can," Yuri replied, drowning his own stack of pancakes in maple syrup. "You can have the rest later on if you get hungry."

He passed the maple syrup to Estelle, then cut a large slab of butter and let it melt all over his tower. Warm, sweet, tasty pancakes in the morning was definitely a joy that every human should experience at least once in their lives. 

As he ate, he watched Estelle across the table. The amount of syrup and butter she put on her pancakes was less than half of his, but nonetheless she seemed to be enjoying them. There was a light in her eyes and a smile on her lips as she ate daintily, her movements controlled and regal as she cut her pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

"Yuri, this is delicious! You're a really good cook!" she said happily.

"Pancakes are simple, anyone can make them," Yuri said with a grin, his cheeks still bulging with a huge bite of pancake. As he swallowed, something... no, _someone_ came to mind.

"Almost anyone," he muttered.

"Pardon?"

"It's nothing. So. School starts tomorrow, right? What're you planning to do today?"

Estelle blinked, lowering her fork. "Um, I suppose I'll finish unpacking, prepare for class tomorrow, and maybe practice my sabre a little," she replied.

"Fencing, huh. Ioder said you were good."

"H-he did?" Estelle's emerald eyes lit up, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "But I know I'm... not all that skilled. Not really. I mean, I'm nowhere near good enough to spar with Flynn. He always refuses when I ask."

_Knowing Flynn, 'not good enough' probably isn't the only reason why he won't spar with you, _Yuri thought wryly. He stuffed his final half-a-pancake into his mouth, then threw his plate and cutlery into the sink with the frying pan and spatula.

"I'm going to work now. See you later," he said.

Estelle had risen when he did, her fork and knife laid neatly beside her half-finished plate of pancakes.

"You have to work on a Sunday?"

"Today's a bit special. So yeah, I'll be out till the evening. There are sandwiches in the refrigerator for lunch," Yuri replied. He moved to the doorway to pull on a pair of dark grey boots, then turned and looked back at Estelle, who was standing at the kitchen doorway, her hands clasped in front of her.

"You know, you don't have to stand when I stand, stop eating when I do, and all that stuff. I told you yesterday that formality makes my neck ache, didn't I?"

Estelle blushed. "But..."

"After all, this is your home now, too." Yuri took something out of one pocket and tossed it at her.

It was a key. A duplicate of the one she had used the day before to unlock the front door.

Yuri grinned at her. "So lighten up!"

Estelle closed her fingers over the key. Then she looked up and smiled back.

"Have a safe trip, Yuri!"

o.o.o

The men were sitting around the small, low table in one corner of the garage when Yuri sauntered in, each armed with a mug of steaming coffee.

One young man with a head of shortly cropped fair hair looked up as he entered.

"Yuri?" he said, surprised.

"Yo, Jurgis." Yuri gave him a casual wave.

"What are you doing here?"

"Covering for Tison. He took my shift yesterday," Yuri replied, passing his attendance card through the small cranky machine at the door.

"Oh? What 'cha do yesterday? Date a pretty girl?" another man asked, chortling as he stroked his bristled chin.

"Not everyone acts the way you do, old man," Yuri said drily. "Had to go pick up luggage from an old friend, that's all." Ignoring complaints of "You wound me!" Yuri moved to the small chalkboard where everyone's duties for the day were listed. It was empty.

"As usual, not much on a Sunday, huh," he muttered. Although Yuri had worked Sundays only twice before, it had become clear to him from the first that the most important thing to do on a Sunday, apart from occasional emergencies, was 'slack'.

"Clint says you gotta do Cammie though, since Tison wasn't allowed to touch her yesterday. He breaks stuff too easily."

"Not again," Yuri groaned. "Cammie" was an old antique car belonging to a wealthy old man. The beautiful red and gold exterior hid the fact that the only thing holding it together was pure luck; it needed regular maintenance every week. Long, tedious maintenance, which nobody liked.

"The guy should just buy a new car. It'd cost less than all the work put together," he grumbled.

"Ya got a lot ta learn, young man. Old things are priceless treasures, you know!" the 'old man' said. Yuri ignored him, moving to open Cammie's boot.

"The day someone calls you a priceless treasure, Raven, I'd be expecting Yuri to actually show up here on time," Jurgis said with a grin. The other men laughed, while Raven protested loudly once more.

"Seriously, though, I wonder why he doesn't just buy a blastia for Cammie. I mean, he's rich enough to afford one."

"Who knows. Maybe he just likes it authentic..."

"That thing is already more new than old, what with the amount of changes we've had to make to keep it going..."

Guffaws, grumbles and random chatter. Yuri worked in silence, only half listening to the other men's casual gossip, until one word caught his attention.

"...war."

"If you ask me, the Council's trying to keep things quiet. After all, the fighting's way over on the southern borders. Doesn't really affect the rest of us here."

"Yeah, no sense in getting everyone panicked and worrying."

"Worry? Hah! They're just trying to pretend everything's fine. They're all sitting safely up north in the capital anyway."

"Now, now. Not all of 'em are like that. Prince Ioder..." 

"But he's got no power, not till he turns twenty-one. And meanwhile those old vultures in the Council and the Regnant rule it all."

"Well, if they want to fight on those wastelands at the border, let them. Not much harm done to anyone else. But if they start raising taxes to pay for all that..."

Yuri yanked the spanner hard.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Flynn," he muttered.

o.o.o

When Yuri reached the door, he knew immediately that something was wrong. There was a smell of something burning in the air, and he hurriedly inserted his key into the lock. Wrenching the door open, he was just in time to hear the sound of sizzling flames, as if someone had just thrown water over it.

He dashed through the sitting room to the kitchen, and was greeted by the sight of one smoking stove and a lot of mess. Oil, water and what looked like some egg mixture were splattered everywhere; bits and pieces of vegetables lay around the table; several eggshells were oozing their contents outside a bowl.

Estelle had whirled round with a gasp when he ran in, an empty basin in her hands. The frying pan in front of her seemed to be the cause of the fire; it was now filled with what looked like flattened lumps of black charcoal. 

"Yuri, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I... um, tried to make dinner, but... I guess I'm still... and I couldn't understand what the cook book meant, and then the stove started smoking, and a fire..."

She trailed off, wiping perspiration off her face with the back of one hand and leaving a white streak on one cheek. "I'll clean it up right away! I'm sorry!"

Yuri stared at the smoking pan. Then at her distressed face. And the chaotic table. Back to her face.

He burst out laughing.

"Y-Yuri!"

"My bad, my bad... It's just..." Yuri took one look at her bewildered yet slightly annoyed expression, and laughed again. 

It took him about five minutes to convince Estelle that no, he wasn't exactly laughing at her, and no, he wasn't angry with her either; half an hour to clean up most of the mess; and another half to dish up a simple meal of sausage and seafood omelettes. Estelle peered over his shoulder while he cooked, as if trying to memorize his actions. Yuri wanted to laugh again at the look of intense concentration on her face, especially when he was squirting ketchup over the completed omelette, but somehow he managed to keep his guffaws in.

When he was finished with dinner preparations, Yuri moved to dump his boots at the doorway(the kitchen floor was now sadly littered with dirty footprints as well as food debris) when he stopped in the corridor, staring out at the sitting room. 

"Uh, Estelle? What did you do?"

Because of the smoke and sizzling, Yuri hadn't noticed earlier, but the place was now unusually clean. Not spotlessly, but there was a distinct lack of old newspapers and tissue boxes, the cushions were neatly arranged, and the clothes that had been lying draped over the back of the couches were now folded and laid on the coffee table. More prominent, perhaps, was the floor. Where it used to be dusty in corners and mud marked at the doorway, now it was smooth and clean, and the pile of shoes were lying in pairs in a neat row beside the door.

"I cleaned up," Estelle answered with a bright smile. "It was amazing! I have a book from the castle library called 'How to Clean', but until today, I never had the chance to try any of it! It was really fun, seeing the dust and dirt disappear from the windows and floor, and..."

Again, Yuri felt like laughing. Such honest delight in something so simple and mundane as house cleaning. It struck him again how very limited Estelle's life had been before, and her eagerness to explore beyond that world brought a smile to his face.

"Yuri...?"

"You did a pretty good job," he said. 

"You really think so?" Estelle said, her eyes lighting up. "I didn't touch your room, though; I thought it wouldn't be polite to just go in without your permission..."

"Nah, there's nothing much in there anyway. Go ahead if you want to."

As they sat down to dinner, Estelle chattered on about her day of discovery ("I know where all the crockery is kept now!") and how much _fun_ it all had been. Yuri grinned at her and teased her and flipped extra prawns at her, while his mind wandered to the conversation he had heard at work.

_Maybe protecting this innocence is part of why they wanted to keep her away._ Stabbing a piece of omelette, he swallowed it.

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I don't think I'm completely satisfied with this chapter. A lot of it still seems... boringly mundane. But I'm hoping to get to the important action soon.

...oh wait, this isn't supposed to be action. (cough) Oh well. 


	3. Chapter III: Proodos

Once again, a fairly long break between chapters. I do apologise. =w=

As those of you who have been following this humble fic can probably tell, there's a change in the cover! Original fanart by me can be found here: daidairo. deviantart art/ Transfigured-Ephemera- 328196958 (Take out the spaces!)

This fic is dedicated to Mayuko and Sierra.

All characters belong to Namco Tales Studio, including the named classmates. 

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Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter III: Proodos 

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Like the day before, Estelle awoke to the lovely smell of something frying. She slipped out of bed and opened the door a little, and the smell came wafting in more strongly. Sausages, perhaps...? Taking up the neatly ironed school uniform laid over her vanity chair, Estelle moved to the kitchen, sniffing as she went.

At the stove, Yuri was sauteing the frying pan expertly, oil and tiny food chunks sizzling loudly in the pan. Estelle was slightly amused to see that he was wearing a dark blue apron (against splashing oil, probably), and his long hair was pulled back into a messy, low ponytail.

He turned as she entered, and grinned at her.

"Morning. Slept well?"

"Yes, thank you. What are you cooking?" she asked curiously, looking at the mass of multi-coloured pieces in the frying pan. Apart from the small red chunks, which looked and smelt like sausages, she couldn't identify any of the ingredients. At least, the greens were probably vegetables, but other than that...

"You'll see in a while. Special recipe," Yuri replied with a grin. Chuckling a little, Estelle went to the bathroom to wash up.

The place had already begun to feel like home in many little ways. Her toiletries were sitting on a shelf above the basin, her face towels hanging on hooks beside the door. There had been moments when she missed the castle; like when she realised that there wasn't a large bathtub for her to swim in, or when she attempted to roll over in bed once and fell off (the resulting thump made her shoulder ache). Most of all, there were moments when she felt quiet and a little bit lonely without Kellas and the other maids to talk to her and admonish her and fuss over her.

But those moments never really lasted long. They were supplanted by feelings of excitement... excitement and wonder that was beginning to grow again. It was her first day at the Shizontania branch of Terca Lumireis National Academy. She would be travelling to school by public transport instead of a private car. She would be having lessons on her own, without a bodyguard standing behind her. She would be working with teachers who would tell her off if she made mistakes, instead of saying "As expected of Her Royal Highness!" all the time. And she wouldn't be exempted from everything else as a 'Special Student'; she would be expected to take her turn in classroom duties and participate in school activities, just like everyone else.

Just like everyone else.

o.o.o

"It's a... salad?" Estelle guessed.

"Sort of. Except with sausages and ham and pineapple. And everything cooked." Yuri answered.

"It's tasty! Yuri, you should really work as a chef!"

"I did for a while, actually."

"Oh?" Estelle paused and lowered her fork. "Why did you stop, then?"

"Some customer complained that the taste of what I cooked wasn't the kind of taste _he_ liked. I... ah, _advised _him to put his head under the chocolate fondue fountain. And the boss decided that I was too much of a pain to keep around," Yuri said cheerily.

Estelle couldn't help it; a fit of giggles exploded from her lips.

"So yeah, now I work as an auto mechanic. Cars don't talk back."

They finished the rest of the meal in relative silence. The sunbeams shining gently through the windows were beginning to get stronger. A light breeze blew in, carrying the scent of fresh grass and morning dew. It was going to be a lovely day.

As Estelle drank the last mouthful of milk from her glass, she could hear excited calls and exclamations from children outside. It was nearly time for school.

"Thank you for the meal!" She placed her fork and knife neatly across her bowl, then lifted them with her empty glass.

"Just leave them in the sink. I'll wash up later," Yuri said, still chomping down on his (much bigger) breakfast.

"Don't you have to leave for work yet?" Estelle asked curiously, wondering what time his working hours were supposed to be.

"Oh, they won't expect me until at least two hours after everyone else," Yuri said cheerfully, slashing at a particularly stubborn piece of tomato. "Can't disappoint them by showing up too early, you know."

"Yuri!"

He laughed at her scandalized expression, then waved his fork at her.

"Don't worry about me. You go ahead. Got your bus pass?"

Estelle nodded. "In my purse!"

"Cell phone?"

She took it out of her bag and waved it, feeling rather proud. The day Ioder had first given it to her, they sat down together and spent a lovely hour learning how to use it. It was confusing at the start, but they both cheered when they each managed to send their first successful message.

It was, she felt, another small symbol of the freedom she now had.

"One more thing." Yuri picked up a small cloth-wrapped package from the countertop and held it out to her. "Bento."

A smile began to spread across Estelle's face, and she took the lunch box reverently. Here was another first; the first take-away meal she had ever had. _A bento is a packed meal for one person, traditionally made by mothers for their children or wives for their husbands, in the ratio 3:1:2 of grain, protein and vegetables,_ she recalled. An image of Yuri as perfect wifely material suddenly popped into her mind, and she almost dropped the box, bursting into uncontrollable giggles.

Yuri stared at her. "What's up, all of a sudden?"

"N-n-nothing! Thank you very much for the lunch! I'll be off now!" Still giggling, she picked up her school bag and ran to the door.

o.o.o

Estelle climbed up the steps of the bus a little nervously. It was already half filled with people, some older, but most around her age, wearing the same school uniform. The driver, a middle aged man with a grey cap, smiled at her encouragingly.

"Morning, miss. You new here, ain't ya?"

"Good morning, sir," she replied politely, showing him her bus pass, "and yes. I just moved to Shizontania two days ago."

"How do you like it?"

"I haven't had a chance to see much yet, but I think it's beautiful!"

The driver beamed with proud satisfaction. "S'not perfect, but it has its charm. Hope you have a good day at school. Just find yourself a seat back there!"

So Estelle walked down the aisle, a little self-consciously, as the bus rumbled on. No one was staring at her, whispering behind their hands. One or two smiled at her as she passed, but most just gave her a passing glance. It was so refreshing, to be nearly invisible in the crowd, to be able to observe instead of being observed.

And Estelle liked watching people. She sat down in an empty corner by the window, right at the back, and watched the people in front of her. The roads, trees and buildings flashed past them as she quietly learned the stories of the people on the little bus. She listened to them talk, hearing the different tones of their voices; happy ("Can't wait for art class today!"), lazy ("Man, I'm still sleepy..."), panicked ("Did you study for that test today!?"), each one more colourful than the previous one. Their faces and gestures, too, were highly expressive, something that differed greatly from the controlled and dignified countenance of the nobles back in Zaphias.

As the bus braked to a gentle stop in front of the academy campus, the students all stood up. Chattering and laughing, they began to file off the bus. Estelle clutched the still-slightly-warm bento that Yuri made, took a deep breath, and followed.

o.o.o

"Everyone, this is Estelle Lune. She comes to us from Zaphias, and will be with us for a while. Please give her a warm welcome, everyone!"

Estelle bowed as her new classmates applauded. It was slightly nerve wrecking, having to stand in front of the entire class, but she could feel that most of their gazes were friendly and curious, the applause sincerely warm, and that gave her strength.

"Estelle, you're from the capital? What is it like there?"

"Is it very different from Shizontania?"

"I hear they have lots of blastia there, is that true?"

"What are you planning to study here?"

"Have you ever seen Prince Ioder?"

Estelle answered their questions as they crowded around her table during break, feeling a little guilty sometimes when she had to lie to cover up the truth behind her identity. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice her occasional slight hesitations.

"How long will you be staying here, Estelle?" the blond girl seated next to her, Cassity, asked.

"I'm not sure yet... but hopefully a few months at least," Estelle replied.

"Then she'll be here for the festival!" the green haired girl behind Cassity, Kate, said excitedly, pushing her glasses up. "I bet she'll look adorable in a maid costume!"

"Festival? Costume?" _Could it be... _

__"Our school's Cultural Festival! You'll join us, won't you?"_  
><em>

_The Cultural Festival. An arts festival hosted by the whole school, where students of each class and club display their achievements and showcase what they learn... _The Academy in Zaphias, too, had hosted one every year, but Estelle had never been allowed to attend. "Could I really... participate...?"

"Of course! Our class is doing a cosplay-themed cafe. Come be a waitress with me, yeah?" Cassity said, winking.

"If someone as pretty as Estelle worked with you, all the customers would flock to her instead!" Alec, on the other side of Cassity, joked. Estelle blushed as Cassity smacked him on the arm.

"That's not true! I think Cassity's really pretty too!" Estelle said earnestly. Cassity turned and gave her a swift one armed hug, startling her slightly.

"Awww, you sweetie! Hear that, Alec? Hah!"

Slowly, the crowd began to drift away, each returning to their own desks to chat and eat, until only Cassity and Kate remained. As they told Estelle about all the plans the class had made, she couldn't help noticing one girl sitting alone at a desk by the window. The only person in the whole class who had not gone over to say a single word to Estelle.

She had short brown hair and teal eyes that were currently narrowed in concentration. Scribbling in a notebook with a well-used stub of pencil, she held a thicker book in the other hand. As she lifted it closer to her eyes, Estelle recognised the cover. _Kriophoros' 9th Theory of Blastia And Its Applications _was a fairly rare book, one that she had seen only in the castle library thus far. It could not have been easy to get a copy of it. Was the girl interested in blastia then? _  
><em>  
>"Estelle? Earth to Estelleeeee!" Cassity waved her hand in front of her face.<p>

"Oh! Um, I'm sorry!" Estelle apologised. "I was wondering... um..."

Kate followed her gaze. "That's Rita. She's a transfer student like you, came to us only a month ago. But... well... she doesn't seem very keen to participate in the festival at all."

"She's a genius when it comes to blastia and science. She's from Aspio, you see," Cassity explained. "Every time we try to ask her to join in and all she just... says she has to focus on her work."

_That must be lonely._ Estelle stared at the slighly pouting look of intense concentration on Rita's face, her forehead furrowed. "Aspio... that's the city famed for blastia and scientific research, isn't it?"

"Yes. Sometimes we wonder why Rita came here, when there are probably far better teachers in Aspio to help her further her studies," Kate said, resting her cheek on one palm. "Bit of a pity that she won't join the cosplay cafe though. She's pretty adorable too."

They returned to the subject of the school festival, filled Estelle in about the various teachers, exclaimed over the bento she brought (a mixture of the previous night's leftovers, the morning's salad, and rice), shared fruits, then hastily cleared everything up for afternoon classes.

Throughout the rest of the day, Estelle watched Rita whenever she could. The girl's head was bent over her blastia book regardless of which lesson was currently ongoing. Most of the teachers ignored her, even when they walked past her and had to have realised that she wasn't paying attention. Somehow, it reminded Estelle of how she, too, was treated differently from everyone else before came to Shizontania. Did Rita... mind?

As soon as the dismissal bell chimed, Estelle made up her mind. She collected her books and placed her empty lunch box carefully into her bag, then turned towards Rita. Except... she wasn't there. Startled, Estelle looked around the classroom, then dashed to the door and peered out, just in time to see a familiar head of short brown hair disappearing down the stairs at top speed.

o.o.o

Estelle dotted her final sentence and gathered her work together, knocking the pile against the table a couple of times to tidy it before she slotted it into a folder. She stowed it and the books she was referencing back into her school bag, then stretched.

Slanting rays of evening sunlight were blazing through the window; golden dust danced along them. Looking up at the small, pink flower clock on her table, Estelle estimated that it would still be an hour or so before Yuri returned.

She stood up and exited her room. Before starting on her homework, she had already cleaned and tidied the rest of the apartment (not that there was very much to clean), even taking the time to wipe down the outside of the front door, talking a little to the mackerel tabby she had seen on her first day as she worked. There wasn't much left of the house to clean, except...

She paused, looking across at the other door. _"Nah, there's nothing much in there anyway. Go ahead if you want to." _Yuri did say. Well... if she could help to dust a little, maybe...

Estelle went to the little closet built cunningly into the kitchen wall and took out a feather duster and a small blastia powered carpet sweeper. Stepping up to Yuri's closed door, she put her hand on the doorknob (it was slightly sticky), took a deep breath, and opened it.

The room was roughly the same size as her own. Tiled in ceramic squares, white walls, with a row of windows on the outermost wall. Two were currently slid onto the third one, which probably explained the couple of dead leaves strewn about the room. Plain grey curtains fluttered in the light breeze.

Yuri's bed was pushed up under one open window, both pillows messily arranged and the comforter crumpled to one side. Across from the bed was a small table with scraps of paper, ink and pens scattered across the top (with the heavier stuff weighing the paper down). A large, messy pile of newspapers and bags were stuffed under it.

One old red armchair was pushed against the table, its colour faded to a comfortable light maroon-grey. Across the back and armrests were draped several articles of clothing, and a single blue cushion (almost as worn as the armchair) lay on the seat.

A teakwood wardrobe similar to Estelle's stood between the door and table. In the opposite corner was a messily draped pile of rugs. Judging from the line of collected dust between rugs and floor, they seemed to have been there undisturbed for quite a while. Strange.

Estelle began with the table first, replacing the pens with their caps (hoping that they weren't all dried up) and binding the scraps of paper together with a paper clip. She dusted it and moved on to the armchair, which proved to be highly soft and irresistably comfortable to touch. Folding the clothes on it (a shirt, a sweater and a pair of trousers), she placed them neatly on the table, then turned to the rug corner.

As her fingers touched the corner of one rug, there was a sound from the window. A growl. Startled, Estelle withdrew slightly, twisting her head around to look.

There was a dog standing on the broad, wide windowsill. Immediately noticeable was the long, crooked scar across its left eye, and an old fashioned pipe sticking from its mouth. A simple, thick leather collar encircled its neck.

It leaped down into the room, and Estelle admired its long, lean form for a split second before it landed elegantly on the tiles. All of a sudden, she realized how huge it was; from where she was squatting, she could just about look into its pale blue eye.

"Hello," she said cautiously, holding out one hand. The dog stared at her, then sniffed the air. Estelle didn't have much experience with dogs, beyond patting a few tiny lapdogs that visiting ladies had brought, but advice from books always said "Let the dog choose to come to you". Much to her chagrin, however, this dog didn't seem to want to approach her at all.

"Are you from the neighbourhood? Who do you belong to? And... how on earth did you manage to get up through the window? I mean, this is the third floor! Do you have a name? Won't you let me pet you?" Chattering on, in a low voice, her hand outstretched, Estelle began to shuffle closer to the dog, one small step at a time. It didn't move closer, nor did it back away; it simply stood still, eyeing her, its long tail raised.

Estelle's hand stretched out, closer and closer towards it. Suddenly, its pointed ears pricked up, and it whined loudly. It pushed past Estelle, dodging her outstretched hand, and trotted out of the door. Estelle got to her feet and followed, exiting just in time to see the dog jump up at Yuri, almost knocking him over. He knelt down at once and fondled its ears.

"Yo, Repede! Haven't seen you in a while! How'd it go?"

"Awooooooo! Grrrrrrrufff!" The dog was barking and whining, its pipe dropped on the floor nearby. It licked Yuri on the cheek and barked again.

Estelle stared. Was the dog Yuri's, then? There hadn't been much around the apartment to suggest that he had a pet..._ Oh, those rugs in his room! _

Yuri didn't seem to notice her at first. He spoke a few words, paused and listened to the loud barks, chuckled, spoke once more (Wait, was he _talking_ to the dog?!), all the while stroking his fingers through dark blue fur. There was a light in his eyes and an easy laugh in his voice as he greeted the dog (_Repede, was it?_), a warm liveliness that Estelle hadn't seen before.

Repede suddenly whined and tossed his head slightly. Yuri looked up, then grinned at Estelle.

"So I see you've already met. This is my partner, Repede."

Repede barked. 

"Um, nice to meet you too!" Estelle said, smiling brightly. Yuri's lips twitched.

Repede gave her the same considering look, then turned back to Yuri and whined.

"Yeah, she'll be staying with us for a while. Get used to it," Yuri said. Repede made a 'wrufffff' sound, rather like a sigh, then picked up his pipe, stood and padded off towards Yuri's room.  
><em><br>_"D...did I do something wrong?" Estelle exclaimed, dismayed.

"Nah, it's just Repede. He acts like that with just about everybody," Yuri replied, grinning.

"In that case, I'll just keep trying until he accepts me!" Estelle said determinedly.

"...Well, do your best."

"Does Repede usually not stay here? I mean, I haven't seen him around at all the past two days." Estelle wondered if he was rather like the half-stray cats of the castle, wandering about wherever and whenever they pleased.

"He usually sleeps in my room, but he was away on a job since before you came. Seems like they've finally solved it." Yuri stood up and headed to the kitchen, preparing to start dinner.

"A job?"

"Yeah. He's smart and skilled, so sometimes when our old team mates need help, he lends a paw."

"Your old team mates? What exactly-?"

"Didn't Flynn tell you?" Yuri paused to look over his shoulder at her, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Tell me... what?"

"...Repede and I used to be members of the Imperial Knights."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

It's beginning to look more interesting, with bits of important stuff happening between all that everyday life! Frankly, I'm still not completely satisfied with this chapter, particularly the Repede sections, but I think I've stewed it long enough, and it's time to let go.

Kate came from Tales of Symphonia (cookies if you're a Symphonia fan too and remember who exactly she is!), while Cassity and Alec are from Tales of Hearts. 


	4. Chapter IV: Kathimerini Zoi

It's been so many years since I first planned and drafted this fic. Reading back, I have to say that I winced a lot at my old writing, and I had intended on dropping it entirely.

But I did promise Mayuko and Sierra, and I have most of the chapters already drafted. So I'm going to type them out and put them up (almost) just as they are (with perhaps one or two editing passes mainly for language). I know that there are problems with the flow, I know that there are problems with overall pacing, I know about the loopholes everywhere, and I'm not sure I agree with all of the plot anymore... But I don't really have the time to polish them.

Still, planning and scribbling this had been fun. For those of you who have been here since the beginning, thank you very much for your patience. I hope you'll find some enjoyment in the rest of the chapters.

Dedicated to Mayuko and Sierra.

Tales of Vesperia belongs to Namco Tales Studio.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter IV: Kathimerini Zoi 

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

When Yuri awoke to the smell of frying, the first thought that popped into his head was '_oh crap_'. He leapt from his bed and dashed out, realizing only after he stepped into the kitchen that it was a _good _frying smell, not a _burnt _frying smell.

Estelle stood at the stove, wearing his dark blue apron, her brows furrowed in concentration. She gripped a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in another, and as he watched, she apprehensively slid the spatula under the slowly browning egg omelette she was cooking and flipped it over. It landed neatly, and she gave a whoop of delight.

Yuri chuckled, and she turned, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Yuri! I-I didn't realise you were there!"

"You were too busy wielding the spatula," he said, grinning. His eyes took in the bento boxes on the table and the cook book propped up against a jug.

"It's nothing too fancy, I'm afraid," she said a little apologetically. "But I'd like to take my turn at the chores if I can."

"Don't sweat it. Everybody starts out doing simple stuff, anyway." He grabbed a fork and lifted a tiny piece of the sizzling omelette from the pan. "Hey, this is actually pretty good."

Estelle beamed. "I borrowed a beginner's cookbook from the school library yesterday. I didn't feel it was fair for you to be doing the cooking all the time, but there was that disaster with two days ago, so... I looked up the instructions on the internet as well, and searched for extra tips or precautions I might have missed, so I really hope I've done it correctly this time!"

Yuri blinked, not knowing whether to be amused and impressed or scared by her tenacity. He had to admit, he was originally expecting that she would be used to having servants cook for her and feed her in a silver platter. Cleaning the house was something new and refreshing, but she had already tried and failed at cooking. He hadn't thought that she would want to try again, and for a reason such as 'it wouldn't be fair otherwise'.

"Looks like we should set up a roster, then," he said, and her eyes lit up.

She switched off the fire and packed some of the egg into the boxes, putting the rest into the sandwiches she had made for their breakfast. Yuri gulped down the sandwiches and did the washing up as she left, promising to pick her up from school after her fencing class that evening.

o.o.o

"What the- You've got to be kidding me." Yuri stared at the bento he had just unpacked. Curious, Raven and Jurgis leaned over to peer at it, then broke out into guffaws.

Estelle had arranged his bento into a perfect _kyaraben_, so that he had little panda shaped riceballs, cute octopi hotdogs, omelette kittens and gel-humans arranged neatly in the box.

"Man, Yuri, what's that supposed to be?" Jurgis chuckled breathlessly. "Swapped bento with the neighbour's kid or something?"

"Well, hey, he used to be a chef, yeah? Maybe he's just found that he appreciates fine art more than anyone thought!" Raven added.

"Shut up, it wasn't me," Yuri said, a little irritably. "The kid I'm babysitting took a turn at cooking today."

That effectively shut the laughter up. "You? Babysitting?" Raven said incredulously.

"Who in their right mind would ask YOU to babysit anyone?!" Jurgis exclaimed. "He'd be teaching the poor kid to skip classes and break rules and pick fights in the school playground!"

"It's great to see that the two of you have such faith in me," Yuri said sarcastically. "She's old enough to know her own mind, just so you know."

"S_he?_" Raven seemed to perk up at the news. "How old is _she?_"

"About 16, and I'll be forced to put a socket wrench between your ears if you think about trying anything, so don't."

"Aw, look at that, Yuri's getting all protective," Jurgis mocked.

"Maybe the young man's finally gotten his first spring, eh?" Raven added, giggling childishly.

"Laugh all you want, you're not the ones getting paid a fortune for this," Yuri said dryly, stuffing an octopus into his mouth. Their comments were tiresome, and part of him rather wished he could throw several bolts at their heads, but he knew that if he lost his temper, he might reveal something about Estelle. Raven and Jurgis were probably trustworthy, but news had a habit of getting around once it was out.

"Really, though, why'd anyone pay you to look after a young girl?" Jurgis wondered, leaning over to steal a gel from his bento. Yuri smacked his hand sharply.

"A favour for an old friend, that's all. They didn't have anyone else they could trust."

"Well, if you need any advice on how to treat girls, Old Raven would be more than glad to teach you how to-"

One well-aimed nut flew for his head.

o.o.o

The girls at the fencing club were friendly and curious, and asked Estelle many questions as they walked out. Estelle answered as well as she could, blushing with pleasure when a senior praised her style.

"Which club did you belong to before you came here?" she asked.

"N-None...? I had... um, private lessons," Estelle admitted. The senior, Yolande, whistled.

"Private lessons? My, looks like someone's a little princess!"

Estelle stiffened, before she realised that Yolande meant it jokingly. She smiled as casually as she could, not quite knowing what to say. When she saw Yuri waiting for her in the carpark, she was grateful for the excuse to run.

"I have to go now. It was nice to meet you all; see you next week!" she greeted politely, then ran towards Yuri. Her footsteps faltered for a moment when she saw that he was leaning against a large, slightly-dilapidated motorcycle instead of a car.

"Had a good day?" he asked.

"I... yes... um... You ride a motorcycle?"

"Yes, Captain Obvious, what's it look like?"

Estelle laughed. "Sorry, it's just... when you said you could give me a ride back, I was expecting a car."

"Can't afford a car, and I usually don't take many passengers on, so..." Yuri shrugged and handed her a helmet. She slid it on her head, adjusting the strap until it fit snugly under her chin, and eyed the vehicle a bit dubiously.

"It is _safe_, isn't it?"

"Probably."

Which was not the most reassuring answer. Still, people around the world rode motorcycles everyday, and it would be another new experience to add to her pile. Estelle mounted the bike behind Yuri, and, seeing that her clubmates were still standing there staring at her, she waved.

"Bye!" she called over the sound of the engine. And then they were off.

It felt rather like riding a very fast bicycle, Estelle thought, her hands firmly wrapped around the handles beside her seat. Somehow, she had been expecting a great deal more wind, speed, and excitement. When they came to a stop at a traffic light, she remarked on this, and Yuri laughed.

"Second Star's getting on in years, but she's still good for occasional sprints. Hang on!"

His hands moved abruptly, the engine roared louder, and they shot forward. Estelle gripped her handles tightly as they accelerated, her cheeks glowing with excitement. The trees and buildings sped past them, the wind tearing at them, and Estelle had a sudden thought that if Yuri hadn't pulled his hair into his helmet earlier, it would probably be smacking her face right then. She laughed, and the sound was lost in the wind and roar.

It was reminiscent of the few times she went on a roller coaster; the biggest difference being that a roller coaster was about 50 feet higher. And that a roller coaster had seatbelts. There was something extremely thrilling about the way she was soaring across a flat plane at high speed, with the rider before her the only barrier between her and certain death. Estelle wondered if she ought to be more afraid, but at the moment exhilaration was cruising through her and it was hard to feel anything other than excitement and joy.

All too soon, it came to an end as Second Star's (he named his _motorcycle?_) engine died. It took several minutes and some grumbling from Yuri to get her running again, and after that they kept to a steady, brisk pace.

"Wouldn't it be safer to get a newer one?"

"Maybe. But I'd rather spend the money on more important things in life. Like good food," Yuri replied, turning down their tiny driveway. "Besides, I like to see the disgusted look on Flynn's face each time he sets eyes on her."

Estelle laughed.

o.o.o

If there was one room Yuri kept in good condition in his apartment, it was the kitchen. It wasn't spotlessly clean and gleaming bright, but it was neat and tidy, with a well-stocked refrigerator. Said refrigerator was beginning to run out a little faster than usual, though, with an extra mouth to feed. As he shoved a plate of frozen fries into the oven, Yuri made a mental note to go shopping for more groceries soon.

Repede entered with a greeting bark. Yuri grinned at him.

"Yeah, yeah, yours is all ready to go, bud." He opened the refrigerator again and took out a bowl of fresh salad. Repede's eye lit up, and he set to work on it as soon as Yuri put it on the ground.

"I didn't know that dogs ate salad," Estelle said as she emerged from the bathroom, looking rather bemused. She was rubbing her damp hair with a towel, smelling faintly of some flowery scent.

"Repede loves salad... as long as it's his favourite kind. He hates tomatoes and onions, but he'll take carrots and lettuce. I think he first started getting used to vegetables when our squad was put on a no-meat-week for punishment," he added, somewhat reminiscently.

Estelle laughed as she sat down. "What happened?"

"Some of us decided that it would be great fun to sneak into the pantry and steal some meat for a midnight barbecue. Obviously, the smell got to a couple of others, and when we got caught, they made the whole squad live off vegetables and eggs for a whole week, in addition to kitchen cleaning chores." Yuri said cheerily.

"But Repede is a dog. Surely they wouldn't change his diet...?"

"Oh, he got his dogfood as usual. But we usually feed Repede extra from our own plates, so that week he got some big helpings of leafy greens. And he wasn't too happy about it at first, were you?"

Repede looked up from his bowl and whuffed a long, suffering sigh, the look in his face telling them exactly what he thought of the stupid prank. Estelle laughed. The oven released a short series of dings, signalling that the fries were ready.

As they set down to a simple dinner of chicken, fries and stewed beans, Yuri could sense Estelle watching him. She seemed to have a question she didn't quite know how to ask.

"It'll get cold," he said. "Fried chicken tastes best when it's hot."

"Huh? Oh, right!"

Repede raised his head to look at them. Yuri shrugged, and he returned to devour the last bits of his salad.

"Um, Yuri... You said that you and Repede were once part of the Imperial Knights."

_Oh. That. _"Yeah. What about it?"

"Is it all right if I asked why you quit?"

Yuri chewed carefully as he thought about how to answer. The Imperial Knights were the military police in Terca Lumireis. Their duties included the maintenance of public order, the security of the ruling nobility and governing council, and, in times of war, the defence of the country. They were meant to be enforcers of law and protectors of civilians. Almost every child in Terca Lumireis harboured dreams of joining the Knights, if only for a short while. For, although it was a difficult job, it came with attractive benefits such as a high salary, government support, and a great deal of glory.

_Ha._

"The Knights and I have different ideals," Yuri said. "I joined them, learned that I didn't agree with their beliefs, so I quit. That's all."

Repede padded over and nosed at the hand hanging over one armrest. Yuri smiled a little, and stroked him. _Thanks. I'm fine. It was a long time ago, after all._

"I see." When Estelle did not say anything further, Yuri looked up at her.

"You're not gonna get angry?" The Knights were representatives of the Empire itself; symbols of the government's rule. Several times over the years, Yuri had found himself caught in an argument because a passionate patriot didn't like his cavalier attitude towards the Knights. He had expected Estelle, given her upbringing, to react similarly.

Estelle looked surprised at his question.

"The Knights are our protectors and our friends. They represent peace and justice, and in them we must all place our trust," she said slowly. "But even so, it is not a crime for someone to voice his disagreement with them."

"Even though that may... what was it, ruin the reputation of the Knights?"

"I believe that Flynn and the Imperial Knights have the best interests of the people at heart. They would do anything to help the people. That includes listening to every voice... especially those who have complaints to make."

It was a familiar topic of conversation, one that had come up between Ioder, Flynn and himself many times in the last three years. Estelle, he thought, shared very similar views with the other two.

"And if those complaints were valid," he said quietly, "what would you do?"

Estelle opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. A long moment passed in silence as she stared at her half-eaten dinner.

"I've... never thought about it," she said finally.

Repede sneezed, then turned and walked out of the kitchen. Yuri bent to pick up the empty salad bowl from the ground.

"Well, it's not something you have to decide immediately, anyway. Take your time and think things through," he said. She smiled and nodded. As she finished her dinner, Yuri dumped the remains of his into the wastebasket, then stood at the basin fiddling with the dishes.

He wasn't entirely sure he knew his own answer to that question.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

...I ended up editing it more than I originally planned to. =w=;;


	5. Chapter V: Prostasía

I'm... really not happy with this chapter. But short of rewriting the whole thing (or even possibly rewriting the whole fic) I doubt there's much I can do... =w=;; Oh well. At least this one is over and done with now.

Dedicated to Mayuko and Sierra.

Tales of Vesperia belongs to Namco Tales Studio.

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Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter V: Prostasía 

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When Estelle woke up and saw Repede lying in the living room alone, she thought that it was the perfect chance to befriend him properly. Quietly, she made her way to the kitchen and opened a can of dog food, then knelt down in front of him.

"Good morning, Repede. I bet you're hungry!" she said cheerily.

The large dog raised its head to look her in the eye, but otherwise did not move. Slowly, Estelle raised one hand towards his snout, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Repede allowed her to pat him a few times. He gave a short growl, then bent his head and began wolfing down the dog food.

Estelle laughed. "I guess that's all for now. But someday, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends!"

Repede made a sound suspiciously like a snort, as if to say 'I'd like to see you try', then continued eating. Although he hadn't been overly friendly so far, somehow Estelle liked him very much, and felt that he didn't completely dislike her, either. Perhaps he just needed more time to get used to her.

She headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast; they had put up on the wall a roster list. Estelle was still new to cooking, and more often than not she failed the more complex dishes, but each time, Yuri swallowed all the messes she made without complaint. Once he even said that he was used to it, because someone else he knew didn't seem to realise how terrible his cooking was.

Whether or not that was true, Estelle was grateful that he had given her the chance to improve her cooking. Yuri didn't give her lessons, hovering over her shoulder to make sure she got it right; instead, he put her on cooking duty, showed her tips and tricks occasionally, and left everything else to her to try. Experience was the best teacher, he'd said, and once or twice when she messed up something too badly, he'd laugh at her, then show her why it went wrong, and tell her to try again next time.

It had only been nine days since she came to Shizontania, but sometimes it felt like she had been living with Yuri for weeks. She had learnt so much within a single week, things she never would have gotten to know if she had stayed in the castle. Things to take note of when doing the laundry (do not put white clothes with red ones), or tricks for cleaning the toilet (lemons). Some of the wondrous things had lost their sparkle; cleaning had gotten a little less glamorous once she came across cockroaches, for instance.

But for the most part, life was good. School, too, was increasingly fun. Instead of spending extra hours on her studies with private tutors, Estelle worked on the upcoming school festival with her classmates. They were friendly and welcoming, and seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. She made friends with them, two bus drivers, and all the staff in the school cafeteria. Estelle had never been happier.

As she finished spread peanut butter and jelly over slices of lightly browned toast, Estelle wondered if Yuri was awake. Toast, he had told her, tasted best when it was still warm. Ought she wake him?

Repede had finished his food and was drinking noisily from a bowl in the corner. Seeing her hesitating outside Yuri's door, he walked over and grabbed the door handle between his teeth.

"Wait, Repede, what..."

It opened, and the dog entered. Uncertainly, Estelle peered in.

The room was somewhat messy again, with papers and clothes lying in various heaps on the ground. The desk was littered with folded letters and newspapers. On the bed, Yuri was lying on his back, half the covers hanging off the edge. As Estelle watched, Repede tensed, then sprang onto the bed, landing directly on his owner.

"Ooof!" Yuri jerked up from the recoil. "What on earth?!" He looked around wildly, then groaned when he noticed Repede sitting on top of him. "Yeah, good morning to you too," he grumbled, flopping back down.

Estelle burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. Yuri opened one eye to glare at her, which somehow made it worse.

"There's no respect for the sleepy," he complained, pushing Repede off and finally rolling out of bed.

Repede made a sound between a bark and a pant. It was, Estelle thought, probably laughter.

o.o.o

The Academy library was open to the public, so although it was a Sunday, the place was filled with people. After finding the few books she needed for her essay, Estelle managed to get a seat at the corner of a long table. Taking out her writing pad, she opened the first book ("A Study of the Great Kharlan War") and prepared to begin, but she did not get beyond her name and class before a voice called out to her.

"Estellise?"

She stiffened, and looked up. A young girl with long hazel hair pulled back in a ponytail was standing opposite her, an uncertain look of recognition in her pale brown eyes.

"Chocolat?"

The girl smiled then. "Yes, it's me. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Estelle smiled back, surprised and delighted. Chocolat was the daughter of the noble house of Isel. She used to live near the castle in Zaphias, and had been one of Estelle's few friends when they were younger, but a scandal involving her father and an ex-council member had caused the whole family to move away. Estelle had missed her very much, but she had been forbidden to contact Chocolat by her governesses and tutors.

"It is good to see you again, Chocolat. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you. It may sound strange, but leaving Zaphias was probably one of the best things to have happened to me," Chocolat replied with a soft laugh. Estelle felt relieved. For a few moments, part of her had felt a little awkward, because she didn't know if Chocolat would wish to avoid speaking of the past completely. But it seemed that Chocolat harboured no resentment towards her exile.

"It is very different from the capital, isn't it?" Estelle said instead.

"Indeed, and I have to say, I would never have expected to see you here." Chocolat sat down in the chair opposite her.

Estelle beamed."Ioder suggested I spend some time studying here in Shizontania, away from the castle. My tutors thought it might broaden my horizon a little."

"I see." The other girl tilted her head slightly, another familiar gesture. "Are you working on Mr Fai's essay?" she asked, nodding towards the book Estelle had open.

"I... huh? Yes. You're studying under him as well?" Estelle suddenly noticed a different edition of the same book on Chocolat's small pile.

For several minutes they discussed the history class and their teacher, then settled into a comfortable working silence as they wrote their essays, speaking only occasionally to clarify points.

"Then Mithos sent his sister home to recuperate from her illness, but some believe that it was actually to protect her from the war..." Chocolat paused, and looked across at Estelle. "Is... that the real reason Prince Ioder sent you away?" she asked quietly. "To protect you?"

Estelle blinked. "I... never thought of that," she said slowly. A few months had passed since Ioder first suggested she leave the castle for a spell. While there had been rumours in the castle about Terca Lumireis' talks with Kimlasca, Estelle had not considered the possibility that impending war was a reason behind the suggestion.

Now that she thought about it, Ioder _had_ been looking more worried than usual when he thought she wasn't looking. More than once, she had walked in on him and Flynn discussing something about Kimlasca, and stopping abruptly the moment they saw her. She had thought then that it was out of courtesy, because she wasn't involved in the political business of Terca Lumireis, but now, it seemed more likely that it was their way of shutting her out altogether._ To protect her. _

Estelle swallowed hard. "You may be right."

Chocolat exhaled a long breath, and her brow furrowed in worry. "Then... there really is going to be a war."

"I'm sure Ioder, Flynn and Lord Alexei are doing their best to stop one from starting," Estelle said hopefully, trying to convince herself as much as Chocolat. "We must trust in them."

Chocolat opened her mouth, then closed it. After a few moments, she sighed again.

"Father's gone to stand at the frontline."

"What?!"

Estelle's sligthly raised voice turned a few heads, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. When the other library-goers had lost their interest, they resumed their conversation.

"But... why? Lord Brioch was retired from service because of his knees, wasn't he?" she whispered.

"Father volunteered. I think he hoped that if he showed his unswerving loyalty to the Empire, he would be welcomed home as a hero, and we would return in glory to Zaphias," Chocolat said softly. "But not a single day passes where I don't worry about him."

Estelle reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "It'll be all right. We're still in the midst of negotiations with Kimlasca. Keep heart, and let us pray for the best."

Chocolat squeezed her hand back. They returned to their essays.

o.o.o

Yuri led them to a little building just down the street from their apartment. The walls were grey with age and green with ivy, and the signboard with the words Alianora's Tavern looked like it had seen better days, but the lantern hanging over the arched doorway gave the place a homely glow.

Inside, the place was warm and clean. The floor of wooden boards creaked as they stepped over to the counter, causing some of the diners to turn around instinctively. One or two called out a greeting to Yuri, and an old man with white whiskers peered out from the doorway behind the counter.

"Oh, it's you, Yuri," he grunted. "Turned up like a bad gald again. Whatcha here for?"

"Just dropped by cause I missed your excellent cooking," Yuri said with a grin.

"Hmph! Flattery won't get ya out of payin' the bill, ye rascal." His eyes fell upon Estelle, who was hovering uncertainly behind Yuri. "And who's this?"

"This is Estelle. Estelle, Hanks."

Estelle bowed. "It's very nice to meet you, sir."

"Sir? _Sir?_" Hanks guffawed. "Aye, she's got manners, this child! You sit down there, m'dear," he said kindly, "and I'll get ye my special mabo curry! Ain't no one's ever lived 'til they've tasted my curry!"

The famous mabo curry soon arrived, along with a complimentary lemonade for Estelle. Yuri watched as she tried the dish. Her eyes lit up at the perfect blend of sweet, sour and spicy, and she praised Hanks so much that the old man's ears reddened.

The other regulars of the tavern began to drift over, introducing themselves to Estelle and asking about her life. Yuri hadn't really thought they'd all crowd her like that, but she didn't seem to mind very much. She greeted everyone with a smile, and seemed to genuinely enjoy their lively chatter. She even laughed (shyly and, admittedly, with a good deal of blushing) at the resulting verbal war that had started when one of them asked Yuri where he'd gotten himself such a cute girlfriend.

Ted and Dora, Hanks' grandchildren, soon took to the floor as usual with guitar and fiddle, and Estelle joined in the impromptu off-key singsong with much spirit. By the time they finished dinner, all had taken a liking to the polite, pleasant young girl, and told her to come back again often.

But as they walked the short distance towards home, Yuri noticed that Estelle was very quiet. Her eyes were lowered to the ground, her hands wrapped in the trailing ends of her scarf to keep warm. She looked... uneasy.

"Something on your mind?" he asked. She looked up, startled by his sudden question.

"Um... Well..."

"Did the guys at the tavern scare you? They're a bit noisy, but they don't mean any harm."

"No! They were all such lovely people!" Estelle said quickly. "I... had a lot of fun tonight."

"So what's the problem then?" Yuri asked.

Estelle hesitated, then burst out into a short explanation about meeting her friend Chocolat in the library that day. About her suspicions behind Ioder's order for her to move to Shizontania.

"I felt really guilty for enjoying myself so much," she confessed. "Flynn and Ioder were doing all they could to protect me, and I didn't even realise it. They are working so hard everyday to stop war from breaking out between us and the Kimlascans, and yet... here I am, living in peace, having fun, laughing with everyone. It just doesn't seem fair..."

_War._ It had been cautiously spoken about for months, as the relations between Terca Lumireis and Kimlasca grew more strained. But the Empire had done nothing to confirm nor quell such rumours, and when asked, both Ioder and Flynn would only say that they hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"It's not a matter for civilians to be worried about," Flynn had added. They told Yuri that they needed to send Estelle away because they feared that, as next in line to the throne, her life might be in danger from the mysterious unknowns who had tried to assassinate Ioder over the past half a year. Yuri suspected then that was not the true reason... or at least, not the only reason behind their decision to leave Estelle with him.

_War._

"What do you think Flynn and Ioder are trying to protect?" he asked.

"Um... Terca Lumireis?"

"That's right. Or more importantly, the people of Terca Lumireis. They're trying to talk Kimlasca out of a war so that everyone can continue leading their own lives, in peace." It was a speech that Yuri had, long ago, been on the receiving end of. He could still remember Hanks yelling it at him and Flynn, after spanking them both. "They're working, and wishing, for all of us to continue living our lives normally no matter what happens."

"But..."

"Would they be happy if they knew that you'd refused to enjoy yourself? That you didn't dare laugh because it felt like you weren't being suitably worried about them and the as-yet-non-existent-war? That you spent every day sitting around reading newspapers and crying 'Oh dear our men are suffering at the borders and yet the people here are eating ice cream everyday!'?"

Estelle laughed weakly. "No, they wouldn't," she whispered.

"Exactly. What you _can_ do is live your life to the fullest, for them, and for yourself. Help them to keep things running smoothly here, so they can concentrate on what they have to do without worrying about everyone else."

Estelle nodded slowly. "I think... I understand."

"So stop feeling guilty. We just have to do what we can, and trust in them to do what they can."

Finally, Estelle smiled. "Thank you, Yuri."

"You're welcome."

They walked the rest of the way home in relative silence.

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Chocolat hails from Tales of Symphonia.


	6. Chapter VI: Kindynos, Filos

Dedicated to Mayuko and Sierra.

Tales of Vesperia belongs to Namco Tales Studio.

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Transfigured Ephemera

o.o.o

Chapter VI: Kindynos, Fílos 

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Cellphone calls and messages were easily tapped, so they had agreed to communicate with each other only when absolutely necessary. After the conversation with Estelle two nights ago, however, Yuri had sent off a message to Flynn asking how things were going on his end. It had taken a while, but a reply had finally arrived while he was in the bathroom that morning.

_"Worsening. Pressure from the Council. Too many questions. Kimlasca on edge. Look after Lady Estellise. Will inform you if anything important happens." _

"Crystal clear, Flynn," he muttered irritatedly. He hated not knowing what was going on, hated the idea that his two best friends were so close to the border, deep in talks with a neighbouring country that may or may not be hostile. He didn't even know the reason why war was looming over the horizon; the Council had voted to keep that a secret from the general public.

_Too many questions... _Did this refer to Kimlasca, or the Council, or both? They had long been suspecting that someone on the Council was secretly working with the Kimlascans. But who? And why?

_Look after Lady Estellise... _Had they not found the one responsible for the assassination attempts on Ioder? Was Estelle in any real danger?

He had told Estelle to stop worrying when there was nothing she could do; such advice was far easier said than done. He had made a choice to live his life in his own way when he left the Imperial Knights years ago, and he had no intention of returning to serve in it. But in the face of impending war, it was difficult not to grab his sword and rush to stand beside Flynn, demanding to know what was going on and how he could help defend them.

Sighing, he left for work.

o.o.o

They'd been assigned to work in pairs for the small project. As the class filed through the basement, Estelle glanced sideways at her partner. Rita Mordio never spoke in class, except when called upon to answer questions. Nobody knew much about her, apart from the fact that she came from Aspio. She kept to herself, disappearing to nobody knows where during break, and leaving the moment the dismissal bell rang.

Estelle had wanted to get to know her since her first day. For all she did to keep herself away, Estelle felt that she could see a hint of loneliness in her face every now and then. But each time she smiled at Rita and started to speak, Rita would turn away and leave. The most she ever gave was one word answers, and did nothing to encourage conversation.

But now, they had been assigned to work together for a project regarding blastia, and Estelle was determined to befriend Rita before they handed in their work.

"I wonder which blastia they'll be showing us today?" she said brightly.

"Probably the lacus, given all the pipes," Rita replied, eyeing the long pipes that filled the corridor on either side of the walkway they were on. Encouraged by the fact that Rita was willing to talk, Estelle pressed on.

"That makes sense. Do you know a lot about blastia? They say you lived in Aspio before."

"I research blastia. They're far more interesting than people," Rita said peevishly.

"O...oh. What was it like, living in Aspio?"

"Normal."

Within two minutes, Estelle realised that the only time Rita showed a bit more interest in talking was if her question included the word 'blastia'. And that she was obviously getting irritated by Estelle's chatter. Sighing, she fell silent as they reached a large pair of heavy metal doors. A low humming sound reached them from behind the closed door.

"All right, everyone!" their teacher, Professor Graham, called. "For today, we'll have a short sketching session of the blastia from at least three angles. Your task is to figure out the main components of the blastia, where the core is stored, and why this shape was chosen. Discuss with your partners and write up at least two pages..."

Then they filed through the open door, and found themselves in a large, wide room with a high ceiling. There were several large ventilation pipes on two sides of the wall, so that the room felt naturally cool.

Two lacus blastia stood opposite each other; large, reddish-brown metal domes, each with two pipes extending from the sides, connecting them to four huge water tanks behind the blastia. At the top was a wide, shallow funnel with several layers of filters, and beside it rose a control panel. The low droning they had heard outside had become a noisy roar the moment the door opened.

Estelle had never seen a lacus blastia in real life before. Several aque blastia filled the grounds of the castle, but lacus blastia were always kept underground on account of the loud noise they made. As she stepped closer, she noticed Rita staring at the blastia on the left, her lips pursed and her brow creased into a frown.

"That's weird..." she muttered.

"What's the matter, Rita?" Estelle asked.

"The sound. There's a cranking sound coming from it..."

Estelle listened. Sure enough, there was a strange metallic sound mixed between the roar. Rita elbowed her way past two indignant classmates and peered at the control panel. Her eyes widened as the roar of the blastia seemed to increase in intensity.

"All right, everyone, it's two minutes to 11. The blastia will soon begin its next round..."

"No!" Rita yelled. "Professor! The aer absorption function of this blastia is malfunctioning! The Ailus formula in the core is completely messed up, and the collected aer is going to explode the moment it starts the conversion process!"

"What!?" Professor Graham looked stunned for a moment.

Aer explosions could be fairly deadly, especially with larger blastia such as lacus types. Although aer was a useful source of energy for humans, overexposure to large amounts of aer was known to be extremely harmful to living beings. Estelle remembered with mounting worry that the worst case in recorded history of an aer explosion had caused the deaths of dozens working in the laboratory. Years after, the surrounding environment was still somewhat saturated with aer; animals and plants that still lived in the area showed visibly terrible signs of mutation.

The students broke into nervous chatter immediately, shooting fearful glances at the blastia. Many began to back away.

"Explode?!"

"How would she know?"

"She's from Aspio, you doofus! I'm not taking any chances!"

Professor Graham's loud voice cut through their panicked mutterings. "All students, out of the room! Walk briskly and exit this building. We still have enough time to get to safety. Stay with your partner and do not panic!"

The final command was futile, as everyone had already begun to run. Professor Graham raced towards the door labelled 'Control Room'. Estelle was halfway out before she realised that Rita was still standing at the malfunctioning blastia.

"Rita, what are you doing? Let's go!" she called.

"You go ahead! I have to try to stop this!" Rita yelled back. Her fingers flew over the control panel, and a distorted glyph appeared from the formula pad on it. She typed fast and furiously, muttering to herself as she tried to correct the errors in the formula.

"Rita, it's one minute until the blastia is due to start the conversion! You can't possibly fix the formula in time!" Estelle could feel her own fear rising alarmingly now. But seeing Rita's small figure bending over the blastia, she couldn't-wouldn't-turn and leave. Somehow or other she had to get Rita to go, too. "Rita, come on!"

"I can do this! I have to save him!"

"Him?"

"Don't worry, I'll fix you! I won't let you explode!"

She meant the blastia, Estelle realised. The cranking sound had increased in intensity, as had the roar from the blastia. Professor Graham's voice could be heard over the intercom system, calling for everyone in the building to evacuate. If Rita failed, she would probably be the only one close enough to be hurt by the minor explosion.

"There!" Rita hit the enter button, and the glyph glowed. "Now all I have to do is to regulate the aer..." She ran to the other side of the blastia and opened the panel to the blastia core, then thrust her hands in. Estelle noticed that the gem on the necklace she wore was glowing. "Come on, please, make it in time!"

Thirty seconds left. Estelle ran towards her and piled her own hands on the core.

"What are you doing?" Rita cried.

"You have to regulate the aer, right? I'll help!" Estelle closed her eyes and concentrated. The bodhi blastia on her own wrist begin to glow. She felt Rita's hands shift slightly in surprise, then settle. Through contact with the core, they could feel the heightened amount of aer within, surging violently and threatening to burst out. The two bodhi blastia began to absorb the aer, releasing it harmlessly into the atmosphere slowly.

The roar eventually dimmed to its original volume, and Estelle finally dared to open her eyes. Rita was staring at her.

"I-is it all right now?" she asked, raising her hands from the core.

"What?" Rita blinked. "Oh. Yes, I think so." She ran to the control panel and checked it. "Yeah, it's working normally now. Some idiot messed up the formula earlier, that's all. I don't know _what_ the maintenance people are thinking of, not locking the control system or the core..."

"Phew." All of a sudden, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her seemed to vanish, and Estelle collapsed into a heap on the ground. She smiled shakily at Rita. "I'm so glad we managed to stop it in time."

Rita stared at her for a few seconds. "Why did you stay?" she asked abruptly. "You could have just gone ahead with the others. There was enough time for you to get away safely."

"But if I did, you would have been caught up in the explosion," Estelle said. "I couldn't just leave you here alone."

A strange, wary, conflicted expression appeared on Rita's face. But before she could speak, the control room door opened and Professor Graham came out.

"Girls! What do you think you're doing?!"

o.o.o

Yuri ladled a bit of the cold soup and tasted it, then grinned in satisfaction. He closed the lid back on and put the pot into the refrigerator again until it was time to be served. Estelle had messaged him mid-afternoon to ask if she could bring a friend back for dinner. There had been a lot of talk from Raven and Jurgis about how it could be a new boyfriend; Clint had even advised him to be firm and strict with regards to all dos and don'ts. Yuri found the whole thing hilarious; regardless, he had gone grocery shopping and prepared dinner.

As he got poured dog food into Repede's dish, he heard the front door opening, and the thud of shoes on the floor. The hum of conversation grew increasingly louder until Estelle peeked through the kitchen doorway at him.

"Yuri! I'm home!"

"Welcome back."

The girl who had followed Estelle hesitantly through now stood slightly behind her, a slight frown on her face. She seemed several years younger than Estelle; either that, or she was blessed with the fountain of youth, Yuri thought. The glint of light upon her neck caught his eye, and he noticed with wary surprise that she was wearing a bodhi blastia as a necklace.

"Yuri, this is Rita Mordio. She's in my class at school. Rita, this is Yuri, my guardian," Estelle introduced formally. Rita seemed to be eyeing Yuri just as warily, and she jerked her head in a stiff nod that was probably meant to be a bow.

"How do you do," she said.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Yuri replied, suppressing the urge to reply sarcastically. He probably didn't succeed very well, for Rita's scowl deepened. Blissfully oblivious, Estelle invited Rita to sit, and Yuri went to retrive his soup from the refrigerator once more. When he put the bowl in the middle of the table, Estelle's eyes lit up.

"Oh, this one of my favourite dishes!"

"What, potato soup?" Yuri said. "Yeah, it's pretty nice."

"It's not potato soup. It's vichyssoise," Estelle corrected him. Yuri blinked. He'd learnt to cook it from Hans, who had never mentioned any fancy, barely pronounceable names for it.

"Estelle, what would you call a soup made from onions?"

"That would be onion soup, but..."

"Then this is potato soup."

"No, it's vichyssoise! It's the name of the dish!"

"Rita, what would you call this soup?" Yuri asked. The girl had been eyeing them with some undisguised amusement throughout their verbal match, and she jumped a little when Yuri addressed her directly.

"...Potato soup," she admitted drily. "It's potato, it's soup. You don't need any other fancy names for it."

"Why won't either of you call it vichyssoise?" Estelle bemoaned. Shaking with suppressed laughter, Yuri turned to grab a bowl of cream from the counter.

Rita seemed to thaw out considerably after that. She ate the potato soup quietly, answered questions when asked, and even ventured in with a non-reply every now and then. She reminded Yuri of the prickly plant that grew in the little garden behind Alianora's; a solitary little one that no other plant dared to grow near. But according to Alianora, once you got underneath the prickles, its nectar was sweet and highly useful. Wryly, he wondered if Rita was like that too.

"...was just telling me about her research in Aspio," Estelle was saying.

"Aspio, huh?" That would explain the bodhi blastia she wore. Blastia was a highly expensive source of energy, partly because the cores were rare, and partly because blastia trade was monopolized by the government. Aspio was a city filled mainly with scientists and scholars, and the Empire had set up a large research facility for blastia there years ago. Still, he didn't realise they allowed people as young as Rita to work with them.

"Rita's been working with blastia since she was ten. Isn't that amazing?" Estelle said, her eyes sparkling.

"It's not that big of a deal," Rita mumbled, her face turning crimson. "I just like blastia, so I studied them. That's all."

"So you'll be going back to Aspio to work after you graduate, then?" Yuri stood to clear the now emptied dishes.

"No, I'll be going back in four months," Rita corrected. "I'm only here in Shizontania because my teacher is on maternity leave, and the rest of the staff in my school there didn't want to deal with me, so they sent me away."

"That's a pretty cynical thing to say," Yuri remarked. Rita shrugged.

"It's the truth. It was pretty obvious, even though they tried to sugar coat it with stuff like 'new experiences' and 'exchange program'."

"But I don't understand. Why wouldn't the teachers want to deal with you?" Estelle asked.

"Because I don't participate in school activities and I don't make an effort to be sociable, and I correct their mistakes," Rita said candidly. "Thanks for the dinner. I should be going now."

"No problem."

"I'll walk you to the bus stop!" Estelle hurried after her. "Rita, we're going to be holding the school cultural festival soon..."

"I'm not interested."

"But we'll be graduating next year. This is probably our last chance to..."

Their voices faded out of hearing as Yuri continued clearing the table. His mind had been on the war so much, it was a bit of a relief to have something else to think about for a while. But in the wake of their footsteps, the house sounded unusually silent, and Yuri hoped that the peaceful days they were having would last.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Vichyssoise conversation taken from the skit in the game. 


End file.
